January 29, 2013, 5:51PM

Gun owners in Louisiana shouldn't "mix stupid and dangerous," according to State Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Bossier City. The avid hunter and NRA member rolled out a campaign in favor of stronger gun ownership rights on Monday, but said he wanted his "Defend Louisiana" campaign to be as much about gun safety as protecting Second Amendment rights. "We need to... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 5:27PM

WASHINGTON -- The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed President Barack Obama's choice of five-term Sen. John Kerry to be secretary of state, with Republicans and Democrats praising him as the ideal successor to Hillary Rodham Clinton. The vote Tuesday was 94-3. One senator -- Kerry -- voted present and accepted congratulations from colleagues on the Senate floor. The roll call came... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 4:25PM

Washington -- Is it a coincidence that with "bounty gate" and more scrutiny of gridiron injuries the National Football League is stepping up its lobbying and political giving? A Washington watchdog group, which Tuesday released a pre-Super Bowl report on the most popular sports league, sees a connection. "With increasing scrutiny and coverage of the lasting, debilitating effects football... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 3:41PM

St. Tammany Parish courthouse workers should not be fearful after one worker recently died of Legionnaires' disease and another tested positive for antibodies of the illness, an epidemiologist with the state Department of Health and Hospitals said Tuesday. "It's just one (confirmed) case... and there is no reason to be really alarmed by it," said Dr. Raoult Ratard, who... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 3:36PM

LAS VEGAS -- Declaring "now is the time" to fix broken immigration laws, President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged Congress to put millions of illegal immigrants on a clear path to U.S. citizenship while cracking down on businesses that employ people illegally and tightening security at the borders. He heralded a rare show of bipartisanship between the White House... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 3:01PM

Residents in Jefferson and East Baton Rouge parishes have until Wednesday, Jan. 30, to register to vote in order to be eligible for the March 2 special elections. In that election, residents in parts of each parish will have an opportunity to vote for new representatives in the Louisiana House following the resignations of Reps. Tony Ligi and Clif... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 2:49PM

Washington -- In a Senate floor speech Monday, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the federal discretionary budget "is not out of control despite what we hear on Fox News. Speaking against a GOP proposal Monday night to pay for a Hurricane Sandy relief package with a 1.5 percent across the board cut in federal spending over the next nine... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 2:03PM

James Carville and Mary Matalin, the odd couple of the political pundit class and proud New Orleans transplants, are leaving CNN after more than a decade of dispensing on-air election analysis for the network -- most of it from two starkly different points of view. Carville confirmed Tuesday that CNN has decided to let the pair go, saying the... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 12:00PM

The odd couple of the political pundit class, James Carville and Mary Matalin, who have turned into prominent civic boosters since relocating to New Orleans a few years ago, are reportedly leaving CNN, according to the news website Politico. Stay tuned for more details. Full story »

January 29, 2013, 11:59AM

Crews from Entergy are working to restore power to around 1,200 customers in LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish government said. The outage is in the Riverlands area, St. John Parish government said in a news release. The news release said Entergy expects to have the customers back up by around 12:30 p.m. Full story »

January 29, 2013, 11:52AM

New Orleans City Hall will be closed Friday to save city workers the anticipated traffic and crush of the Super Bowl crowds downtown and around the Super Dome. But that doesn't mean the government won't put in a full work week. To offset the lost day, City Hall will extend its open hours from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.... Full story »

January 29, 2013, 11:32AM

For the third time in less than two months, Gov. Bobby Jindal has taken to a national media outlet's op-ed pages, this time calling on President Barack Obama in the Washington Post to meet with Republican governors about the Medicaid expansion in the federal health law. Jindal argues that governors are uniquely suited to help the federal government reform... Full story »